As a single woman in my mid-twenties with no children, I start to twitch nervously every time someone starts to rhapsodize about how much they love their minivan. I drive a performance sedan and it meets all my needs really well. So when I had the chance to drive the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country for a week, I wondered if that twitch would become permanent.
I understand why families buy minivans. They make it easy to haul children, groceries, pets and soccer gear. Unlike an SUV, they sit low to the ground and get decent fuel economy. I get it. I just have no need to haul any of these things.
Read: 2012 Chrysler Town & Country Review
Yet, while I was cruising in this mom-mobile, I was enlightened. This minivan isn’t just great for families; it could be just as great for college students and drivers in their mid-twenties. Let me paint three brief scenarios to make the case.
Scenario #1:
Say you want to host a movie night, but not any old movie night. You’re looking at doing something you and your friends haven’t experienced perhaps since your childhood. Something unique and new to impress your friends. With the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country, unique is possible.
Since the 2012 Town & Country is equipped with Stow’N Go seating, one could simply fold down the second- and third-row seats that are stored in the floor of the Town & Country, making the back perfectly flat. For added comfort for your guests, throw down some blankets and pillows. Snacks will be a must. Then shovel in four or five friends. Considering there is a maximum cargo volume of 143.8 cubic-feet in the van, this won’t be a tight fit. With the DVD player standard in all Town & Country minivans, you and your friends can enjoy a mobile movie in a park, mountains or even a campus parking lot.
Or you could go even more old school and take in a drive-in movie in this capacious van. The biggest obstacle may be finding a working drive-in theater in your neighborhood. But know the Town & Country is game for everything from a popcorn action movie to the latest chick flick.
Scenario #2:
‘Tis the season for football and what comes with football? Ding ding ding. That’s right, tailgating.
Not many college or post-college students can afford an extravagant trailer or RV. But the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country. Maybe. Priced between $29,995 and $38,995, the minivan makes more sense than a sedan or coupe. Perhaps.
Here’s why. One could easily place a grill, table, chairs and a cooler in the Town & Country, all to be unpacked at the tailgate and rock out with everyone else before the big game. Then once it’s all over, simply throw everything back in the van and drive off. A van is never cool until you use one; then people love it. How do I know? We tailgated in the Town & Country a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit with my twenty-something crowd.
Scenario #3:
We’ve all been in the situation where we go (or have gone) on a road trip with a bunch of friends, yet we all get squished into someone’s sedan. As soon as you reach a rest stop, everyone scrambles out of the car like a pack of wild monkeys to stretch their legs.
Piling six friends into the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country will eliminate this issue permanently. With two buckets seats for the second-row and a bench for the third, your passengers will be loving life and sprawling out.
As an added bonus, the 2012 Town & Country gets an estimated 25 mpg while on the highway, and 17 mpg in the city. Vehix editor Michael Waterman took the VW Routan (essentially a re-badged Chrysler Town & Country) from Salt Lake City, Utah to Yellowstone, Montana and back and averaged 30 mpg over 700 miles. You won’t see numbers like that in an SUV.
Read: 2011 Volkswagen Routan review
You might also assume that a minivan lacks power under the hood. The 2012 Town & Country may surprise you. Powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine that generates 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, you can easily pass cars left and right. In fact, that’s more power and torque than a Honda Pilot, an SUV I regularly see on campus.
The Vehix View
While the minivan is traditionally beloved by moms, large families and dog enthusiasts, it can be equally adored by college students and mid-twenty-something drivers. Whether it’s movies, tailgating or road trips, the 2012 Town & Country from Chrysler makes recreation fun and easy. With Stow’ N Go seating, a standard DVD player, room for six or seven passengers and Chrysler’s impressive Pentastar V6 engine, the Town & Country is fully equipped to fit the needs of everyone. I’ll keep my sedan for now. But i see minivans in a whole new way and that nervous minivan twitch appears to have disappeared for good. Nothing wrong with that.
Related posts:
- Review – 2011 Chrysler Town & Country is Transformed from Also-Ran to Contender
- EPA and Chrysler Teaming Up On Hydraulic Hybrid Minivan
- Top 3 Minivan Deals for October 2011 – Minivan Incentives and Rebates
- Review – 2011 Nissan Quest Takes The Road Less Traveled
- Review – 2011 Chrysler 300 is Like a Suit from Nordstrom’s
- Review – 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible No Longer Worst Part of a Tropical Vacation
- Chrysler and Eminem Debut “Imported from Detroit” Ad Campaign
- Review – 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan a Comfortable Road Trip Machine
Tags: 2012 Chrysler, 2012 Chrysler Minivan, 2012 Chrysler Town and Country, 2012 Minivan, 2012 Town and Country, Chrysler, Chrysler Minivan, Chrysler Town and Country, minivan, Town and Country
Nice write-up. My opinion on minivans recently changed as well. I went down to Vegas with some friends earlier this year, and one of them had a family house down there. In the garage, they kept a minivan – it was an older T&C. It was only used down there for trips and whatnot, and it made a ton of sense. Everyone fit comfortably, we were able to throw all of our stuff in the back, and it had power on the freeway.
I wouldn’t mind this one, especially with the leather and DVD player. Who knows, it could become a new phenomenon for people in their 20′s to drive minivans instead of SUVs that they never take off road.
“A van is never cool until you use one…” Well stated, Alex.
Personally, I’m a luxury sedan & performance car lover myself, but after riding in a buddy’s T&C, I can easily make a case as to why I need one of these.